Question What should I upgrade? Any bottleneck?

[Ponckenzy]

i3-3220
8gb ddr3 1600mhz (soon upgrading to 2000mhz)
Gigabyte gtx 670
1tb hdd

 

[mdd1963]

upgrade for what purpose?

ANy games within the last 5 years will likely prove challenging given a nice GPU from 2011 and an older i3, but, as a basic surfing/office system, an SSD would make the most difference.... (Faster RAM speeds than what the CPU/MB is capable off is unnecessary, but, 8 GB is becoming marginal for newer games under Win10)

 

[ConanLock]

Any compatible i7 CPU along with a GTX 1060 6GB or even GTX 1070 would be a good upgrade.

 

[Ponckenzy]

upgrade for what purpose?

ANy games within the last 5 years will likely prove challenging given a nice GPU from 2011 and an older i3, but, as a basic surfing/office system, an SSD would make the most difference.... (Faster RAM speeds than what the CPU/MB is capable off is unnecessary, but, 8 GB is becoming marginal for newer games under Win10)

I can play triple AAA games at 1080p for over 80 FPS uncapped

 

[Shektron]

I can play triple AAA games at 1080p for over 80 FPS uncapped

Would suggest a fully new PC for that, you can keep the hard drive and maybe the case and PSU, upgrade everything else to latest platform like Ryzen 2nd gen, and get a good GPU - based on your needs a GTX 1660 Ti should probably be enough.

Something of this sort, provided that your current case and PSU are up to the task of housing these components:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor ($145.88 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock - B450M PRO4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($75.71 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill - Aegis 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($65.98 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6 GB XC BLACK GAMING Video Card ($269.99 @ B&H)
Total: $557.56
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-05-30 06:19 EDT-0400

 

[ConanLock]

You can upgrade your system to i7 3770 and GTX 1070 for 60FPS on AAA games at high graphics, or lower the graphics to get your 80 FPS target.

 

[Shektron]

You can upgrade your system to i7 3770 and GTX 1070 for 60FPS on AAA games at high graphics, or lower the graphics to get your 80 FPS target.

Wouldn't suggest an upgrade to a quad core CPU in 2019, it's a waste of money. Ryzen has 12 cores coming soon ffs, stop recommending quad cores now, they are no longer the "sweet spot" for a gaming PC. At least a 6-core processor is recommended for gaming, unless you'll only play specific games all the time(including future releases) and none of those specific games need 6 cores.

 

[geofelt]

You now have a reasonably balanced cpu/gpu.
Which upgrade would be more effective will be determined by the games you play.

Some games are graphics limited like fast action shooters.
Others are cpu core speed limited like strategy, sims, and mmo.
Multiplayer tends to like many threads.

You need to find out which.

To help clarify your CPU/GPU options, run these two tests:

a) Run YOUR games, but lower your resolution and eye candy.
If your FPS increases, it indicates that your cpu is strong enough to drive a better graphics configuration.
If your FPS stays the same, you are likely more cpu limited.

b) Limit your cpu, either by reducing the OC, or, in windows power management, limit the maximum cpu% to something like 70%.
Go to control panel/power options/change plan settings/change advanced power settings/processor power management/maximum processor state/
This will simulate what a lack of cpu power will do.
Conversely what a 30% improvement in core speed might do.

What is the make/model of your psu?
Your current psu can power a card as strong as a GTX2070.
A gpu upgrade is the easiest.
It can be carried forward to a cpu upgrade easily.
I might suggest a GTX1660ti as a very nice upgrade if you play fast action games.


What is the make/model of your motherboard?
Intel does not depend on ram speed and it is unlikely that your motherboard can run past 2800 speed.
The cpu upgrades possible on your motherboard may not be sufficient to do what you want.
I have no problem with the 4 threads of the I3-3220. It was a very appropriate chip for your gpu.
6 threads are sufficient for gaming.
If you need a cpu upgrade, I think it is probably best to go current gen intel or ryzen.
You will also need a motherboard upgrade as well as DDR4 ram.

 

[cryoburner]

Wouldn't suggest an upgrade to a quad core CPU in 2019, it's a waste of money.

They were suggesting it in the context of upgrading that existing system. An i7-3770 can be bought for around $80 used, and would be a decent upgrade over their existing processor, with CPU performance not all that far behind a Ryzen 2400G. It's an i7 with SMT, so it should handle more than 4 threads a lot better than something like a quad-core i5 without it.

 

[ConanLock]

Exactly. I think that with 8 threads and at only $80 it is a more than good choice. If OP were to get one and pair it with a GTX 1070 they'd be able to play the newest AAAs such as Metro Exodus.

 

[King_V]

Would suggest a fully new PC for that, you can keep the hard drive and maybe the case and PSU, upgrade everything else to latest platform like Ryzen 2nd gen, and get a good GPU - based on your needs a GTX 1660 Ti should probably be enough.

Something of this sort, provided that your current case and PSU are up to the task of housing these components:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor ($145.88 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock - B450M PRO4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($75.71 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill - Aegis 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($65.98 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6 GB XC BLACK GAMING Video Card ($269.99 @ B&H)
Total: $557.56
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-05-30 06:19 EDT-0400

I like this overall, but would probably recommend going with 3000 or 3200 MHz memory, as it sometimes can be had for only about $10-15 more.

 

[Ponckenzy]

upgrade for what purpose?

ANy games within the last 5 years will likely prove challenging given a nice GPU from 2011 and an older i3, but, as a basic surfing/office system, an SSD would make the most difference.... (Faster RAM speeds than what the CPU/MB is capable off is unnecessary, but, 8 GB is becoming marginal for newer games under Win10)

I can @

Would suggest a fully new PC for that, you can keep the hard drive and maybe the case and PSU, upgrade everything else to latest platform like Ryzen 2nd gen, and get a good GPU - based on your needs a GTX 1660 Ti should probably be enough.

Something of this sort, provided that your current case and PSU are up to the task of housing these components:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor ($145.88 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock - B450M PRO4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($75.71 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill - Aegis 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($65.98 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6 GB XC BLACK GAMING Video Card ($269.99 @ B&H)
Total: $557.56
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-05-30 06:19 EDT-0400

well I actually am building a new pc with a ryzen 5 2nd gen chip

You now have a reasonably balanced cpu/gpu.
Which upgrade would be more effective will be determined by the games you play.

Some games are graphics limited like fast action shooters.
Others are cpu core speed limited like strategy, sims, and mmo.
Multiplayer tends to like many threads.

You need to find out which.

To help clarify your CPU/GPU options, run these two tests:

a) Run YOUR games, but lower your resolution and eye candy.
If your FPS increases, it indicates that your cpu is strong enough to drive a better graphics configuration.
If your FPS stays the same, you are likely more cpu limited.

b) Limit your cpu, either by reducing the OC, or, in windows power management, limit the maximum cpu% to something like 70%.
Go to control panel/power options/change plan settings/change advanced power settings/processor power management/maximum processor state/
This will simulate what a lack of cpu power will do.
Conversely what a 30% improvement in core speed might do.

What is the make/model of your psu?
Your current psu can power a card as strong as a GTX2070.
A gpu upgrade is the easiest.
It can be carried forward to a cpu upgrade easily.
I might suggest a GTX1660ti as a very nice upgrade if you play fast action games.


What is the make/model of your motherboard?
Intel does not depend on ram speed and it is unlikely that your motherboard can run past 2800 speed.
The cpu upgrades possible on your motherboard may not be sufficient to do what you want.
I have no problem with the 4 threads of the I3-3220. It was a very appropriate chip for your gpu.
6 threads are sufficient for gaming.
If you need a cpu upgrade, I think it is probably best to go current gen intel or ryzen.
You will also need a motherboard upgrade as well as DDR4 ram.

My cpu is bottlenecked

 

[geofelt]

I do not much like the term "bottlenecking"
If, by that, you mean that upgrading a cpu or graphics card can
somehow lower your performance or FPS.
A better term might be limiting factor.
That is where adding more cpu or gpu becomes increasingly
less effective.

You WILL do better with either upgrade.
The question is by how much and is it worth it.
Try test a) above, you might be surprised.

 

[Shektron]

well I actually am building a new pc with a ryzen 5 2nd gen chip

So what exactly do you need advice with? What GPU to buy? That's already answered - a 1660 Ti. Which chip to buy? That's answered - a 2600 or wait for Ryzen 3600 to come out. If you buy 2600, any B450 motherboard will suffice, along with DDR4 2666 or higher memory in the 2x8 GB configuration. What else do you wish to know, or do you disagree with some of these recommendations?